COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC) Page 5

PHL 107

OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE

GENERIC COURSE SYLLABUS

I. / Course Prefix / Course Number / Course
Name / Credit / Lecture / Lab
PHL / 107 / Business Ethics / 3 / 3 / 0

II.   Prerequisites

None

III.   Course (Catalog) Description

Course investigates moral issues which arise in the conduct of business, marketing and advertising. Of value for business students and consumers. Topics include corporate responsibility and social justice, conflicts of interest, environmental issues, problems of discrimination, and the rights of employees and consumers.

IV.   Learning Objectives

After completing this class, students will be able to do the following:

A.  Define the basic vocabulary needed to discuss ethical theories and be able to state the problems that ethical theories address.

B.  Explain and compare at least four conflicting ethical theories and the arguments that support these theories.

C.  Explain and compare at least three conflicting theories of social justice that address issues of property, profit, distributive justice, and the responsibilities of corporations.

D.  Apply ethical theories to concrete situations and particular situations that arise in business. Issues may include insider trading, racial and gender discrimination in hiring, the rights of employees and consumers, environmental responsibility, and human rights in the global context.

E.  Use the ethical theory with which they agree to defend their own positions on contemporary business ethics issues both orally and in writing.

F.  Exhibit values related to teamwork and collaboration, fostered by the pedagogy of shared-inquiry and critical dialogue appropriate to the humanities and philosophy.

V.   Academic Integrity and Student Conduct

Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

·  cheating,

·  plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),

·  falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),

·  helping others to cheat,

·  unauthorized changes on official documents,

·  pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,

·  making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and

·  any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.

Please review the Code of Academic Conduct and the Code of Student Conduct, both located online at www.oakton.edu/studentlife/student-handbook.pdf.

VI.   Outline of Topics

(This is a sample outline of topics. In your outline of topics, please specify the dates when you will cover specific topics and other important dates such as exams and paper deadlines.)

I.   Introduction to ethical theories

A.   Kantianism

B.   Utilitarianism

C.   Moral relativism

D.   The ethic of care

E.   Morality and religion

II.   Social justice and capitalism

A.   Traditional theories of property and profit including Smith

B.   The Marxist challenge to traditional theories

C.   Modern theories of property and profit

1.   Nozick’s libertarianism and Friedman

2.   Rawlsian liberalism, Stiglitz and Krugman

D.   New issues in property: intellectual property

III.   Moral responsibility and corporations

A.   Stockholders versus stakeholders

B.   Moral responsibilities of employees

C.   Insider trading

IV.   Discrimination in hiring

A.   Diversity and affirmative action

B.   Sexual harassment

V.   The rights of employees

A.   Privacy

B.   Health and safety

C.   Unionization

D.   Whistleblowing

VI.   The rights of consumers

A.   Marketing

B.   Safety

VII.   Environmental issues

A.   Government regulation

B.   The debate over growth

VIII. Cultural differences and international business

IX.   Social justice and globalization

A.   Legacies of colonialism

B.   Human rights today

C.   Multinational corporations

D.   The role of global agencies such as the IMF and the World Bank

X. The current economic crisis and the new issues that it reveals

VII.   Methods of Instruction

·  Lectures and discussion

·  Small group work

·  Films

·  Student presentations and debates

·  Guest speakers

·  Field trips may be required

VIII.   Course Practices Required

Course may be taught as face-to-face, hybrid or online course.

(Please include information here about all expectations you have for your students regarding behavior, work, etc. The following are sample topics you may wish to cover. Please be aware that you must require students in this course to produce at least 15 pages of critical written assignments over the course of the semester. These may be assigned in a variety of ways including journals, response papers, field trip projects, etc.)

·  Attendance

·  Standards for written work

·  Quizzes/Exams

·  Participation

·  Essays

·  Final Project

·  Special policies about make-up exams, late papers, or other matters of concern

IX.   Instructional Materials

Note: Current textbook information for each course and section is available on Oakton’s Schedule of Classes.

A text such as Ethical Issues in Business edited by Donaldson, Werhane, and Cording or Ethical Challenges to Business-As-Usual edited by Collins-Chobanian should be chosen. Appropriate texts will contain case studies as well as traditional philosophical selections.

X.   Methods of Evaluating Student Progress

(In this section, please present the percentages or point breakdown of their final grade. The writing assignments should count for at least 40% of the final grade. An example follows.)

A.   Quizzes/Exams……40 points

B.   Essays……40 points

C.   Final project with oral presentation……10 points

D.   Attendance and participation………10 points

E.   Grading scale: 90-100, A…….80-89, B………70-79, C……….60-69……..D

XI.   Other Course Information

A. Disabilities

If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the Access and Disability Resource Center at the Des Plaines or Skokie campus. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.

Oakton Community College is committed to maintaining a campus environment emphasizing the dignity and worth of all members of the community, and complies with all federal and state Title IX requirements.

Resources and support for

·  pregnancy-related and parenting accommodations; and

·  victims of sexual misconduct can be found at www.oakton.edu/title9.

Resources and support for LGBTQ+ students can be found at www.oakton.edu/lgbtq.

B. Discrimination

The Oakton Community College Catalog states:

Oakton Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital status in admission to and participation in its educational programs, activities and services, or employment practices. The College does not tolerate sexual harassment or sexual assault by or of its students or employees.

In keeping with this policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, in this class all of us (myself included) should strive to listen and give careful consideration to all ideas expressed in class, especially those that are different from our own, without attacking or demeaning the people who have those views. We should also strive to avoid using insulting terms or telling offensive jokes when talking to or about individuals or groups.

C. Instructor information

·  Office and office hours:

·  Phone:

·  Email and website:

Approval Dates:
(Faculty: Do not include the following information on your individual syllabi created for class distribution.)

Effective beginning term: Fall 2013 Ending term:

Syllabus prepared by: Hollace Graff Date: March 2006

Revised by: Hollace Graff Date: June 2010

Reviewed by Chair: Hollace Graff Date: July 2010

Approval by Dean: Linda Korbel Date June 2013

Generic syllabus format revised 09/16

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